Does studying mostly in English at university lead to a loss in Arabic literacy and language skills? In fact, there are many point of views around this major issue; education and technology are developing rapidly worldwide and every nation is competing in order to become the best in teaching in English forgetting the side effects that might occur to the native language of the country. English is considered to be the main language that is used worldwide; as a result, in order to communicate with people around the world Arabs have to learn how to speak and write in English. There are different opinions on whether studying in English affects our Arabic literacy and skills. There are some parents who agree that English is affecting the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) language. On the other hand, other parents do not agree and they think English has no effect on MSA or Emirati Arabic (ElBahi, 2013). In my point of view, I think studying in English leads to a loss of Arabic literacy and language skills because it may reduce the use of Modern Standard Arabic Language (MSA). MSA language is being faded by some students for the reason that they are studying in private schools and spending more time with their maids. As a result, losing our MSA language will lead to a loss of our national identity.
Most of the private schools concentrate mainly on English language in almost all the subjects except for Geography, History, Islamic education and Arabic. Perhaps, some private schools have Geography and History subjects optional which means the student have the choice to choose whether he/she wants to study it in English or Arabic language. Beside that, the MSA classes and Islamic Education classes are twice or three times weekly which is less t...
... middle of paper ...
...13). Retreived from
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/arabic-language-is-losing-ground
Barakat, N. (2013). Is Arabic in danger in the UAE? Retreived from
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/is-arabic-in-danger-in-the-uae-1.1181550
Dudda, C. (2014). The Most Important Language Worldwide. Retreived from
http://www.ilovechile.cl/2014/03/26/english-important-language-worldwide/106328
Holmes, O. (2009). Language. Retreived from
http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=692
KleyChu. (2010). Why Learning English is Important. Retreived from
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Why-Learning-English-Is-Important-465208.html
Zayed, P. (2013). Foreign workforce poses challenge to Arabic language. Retreived from
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/foreign-workforce-poses-challenge-to-arabic-language
Most of the time, the books that private schools used are related to the ones that public schools used, but the difference is that the public schools tend to use more updated and less broad because they tend to be more specific to each region and need to be changed every single year Also, the private schools offer bilingual classes that will help the student to have a higher chance to get accepted into universities or schools of post-secondary level .In Mexico, the average kid from a private school spent around 7 hours a day in school. This means that the typical day in a private school it’s from 7:00 AM to 2:00PM depending on the extracurricular classes that it offers. What its important about private school is that they follow rigid rules in which once at 7:20AM the door close and the only way for a student
Also most students are 1st generation Americans. Even though I speak Arabic as well and I am able to understand and help them if they ever need translation we also have to keep in mind that there are a lot of different Arabic dialects. The parents of my ELL students are born in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen or Palestine.
There is no doubt our educational system is more complex than ever before. There is much to consider when looking at the balance between theories, proven methods, and the reasons why we chose to invest such time into our children’s education. In this paper I will touch on these theories, methods and the importance of the education.
With the rapid economic development, more and more people try to immigrate to America and trying to learn English. Some parents would like their children just speaking English. However, there are some parents tend to keep their native language and teach to their children, in order to keep their culture alive. And in my opinion, parents should keep their old language alive.
In the United States, it is important for a person to speak English fluently because it is the official language in America and everybody communicates in English. Many people believe that English should be the only language in America and that sometimes people may face prejudice when they speak English with an accent. For some parents, the fear of prejudice makes them decided not to teach their children their native tongue. On the other hand, there are many other reasons why some parents want to teach their children their native tongue. Gabriela Kuntz explains in My Spanish Standoff why she did not allow her children to speak Spanish at home. Kuntz’s explanations are acceptable, but some research studies reveal that most young children can learn two or more languages. Also, many researchers say that children can learn a second language faster than adults.
Literacy is vital for reading and writing of all children, both hearing and deaf. Research has shown that having a strong L1 foundation, it can be applied in learning how to read and write in English. Advocates of bilingual bicultural education agree that the reading and writing skills that are acquired based on the strong foundation of their L1 develops the foundation of L2 (Evans, 2004; Puente et al, 2006). Researches conducted by Padden & Ramsey (2000) show that ASL fingerspelling skills are related to English literacy and vocabulary knowledge (Hile, 2009). One study done by Padden & Ramsey (2000), showed the fingerspelling tasks that were given to thirty-one deaf students in two groups (3rd-4th graders
Education is fundamental in today’s society. It has become a sought after medium for attaining success. Many careers have set specific educational requirements for a person to even be considered for employment. The education that one receives can be achieved through different types of institutes. Many parents face the conundrum of sending their children to the right institution that will aid in their child’s future success. The choices seem to be in abundance but many people find themselves limited to a short list of obtainable institutions. The parents have a great deal of things that need to be thought through. This may require factors that have to be considered. Some of the factors include the following: curriculum, class sizes, cost and school’s quality but these are some questions that stand out. Does the type of school really help performance? Are there factors that hinder one type of institution from thriving? These decisions are crucial and, for the most part, will determine the type of institution the child will receive his or hers knowledge from.
Overtime, the ELL population of students has been overlooked and have not been given the amount of help they have needed to be able to become successful in the United States. Literacy is not the only thing ELLs have to deal with, but also assimilating to the American culture and just trying to survive economically. According to the NEA (2008), “two-thirds come from low-income families and three out of four ELLs are Spanish-speaking” (para. 3). Many immigrant families come to America to have a better life, but many end up struggling even more because of the lack of financial support and their language barrier. By sending their children to American schools and having them in English Learning programs, parents hope their children will have a better
Depend upon results in figures (9,11), there are several factors cause on process of distribution of free schools, for instance government policy and local authority's role, population density, environmental difference such as urban area or rural, economic level, results of academic achievement, parent’s request to open the type of school, social segregation and social enterprises. For example, it might be parents in urban areas request to open new type of schools or send their children to the new type of schools, but maybe in rural parents do not like the new type of schools and they prefer a good local state school. Also the quality of schools’ curriculum and results of academic success make parents to send their children to those schools which has best academic achievement. In addition, sometime parents or social enterprises demand to open school based on religion or social type. As Ball (2013) discusses that the education system changing due to government policy toward to education, for example currently depend on environment some parents allowed to choose type of school for their children, but some do not. It is likely that the family skill, time and economic levels make parents to choose school's type. at the same time family allowed to choose any type of school they want for their
Earlier this year, Singapore’s former Prime Minister, Lee Guan Yew told the press (SinChew Daily, 2013) that he would like to urge all the parents in Singapore to let their children to receive bilingual education as soon as possible as it deliver more pros than cons for the development of the children. Traditionally, bilingual education was perceived by experts as “damaging” to children early language development as it may cause them to confuse between two languages and affect their learning (Chitester, D.J., 2007), but as more recent researchers begin to uncover the advantages of bilingual education (Cognitive Development Lab, 2013 & National Association for Bilingual Education, n.d.), people around the globe are now accepting and encouraging their children to receive bilingual education, picking up additional languages like: Spanish or Mandarin. The bilingual education indeed offers several priceless advantages to everyone like helping in the development of brain, providing wider job opportunities and making more new friend.
International students may be sent to America to study, speak, write and read in English but the chance of encountering difficulties and struggles is high. According to researchers, learning English in America especially for foreign students is a difficult decision because one may not be able to become accustomed to the environment, behavior of difference culture and the acts of other around. English learners will also encounter reading disability because one cannot read English in a short time; additionally, international students usually struggle with reading English even though one may have the knowledge of the English language. No matter how many disadvantage the English language has, the world most common language will not be extinct because jobs, education and many other parts of the world use English as a primary
Foreign language skills could have a positive impact on race relations in America. The number of minorities in America is rapidly increasing. In fact, "minority" groups will soon form a collective "majority" of the citizens in America. Considering the facts that many minority groups speak English as a second language and America has no official language, compulsory foreign language classes are viable options. Of course, opponents of mandatory foreign language courses will say that immigrants and naturalized citizens should learn and speak the "de facto" official language of the United States--English. It is a valid point, but misses the bigger picture. People who speak English as a second language are already bilingual, while American-born students typically are not. Language is the most fundamental aspect of a culture. Students who learn the not-so-foreign language of the predominant minority group in their region of the country will gain at least some insight into the different culture of their neighbors and perhaps have a better understanding of them at the personal level. If we take these bits of insight and understanding and couple them with compassion, fertile ground for multicultural harmony in America will be sown. While foreign language skills can improve domestic affairs, the same can be said of foreign affairs.
English is, almost certainly, the most important subject that a child can learn in school. Without knowing proper English, a child will not be able to communicate effectively with the English speaking nation. They would be shut off from education and other people in this country. A person who does not poses proper English limits his or her ability to achieve their highest potential. Knowledge of the English language is important to learn to be able to communicate with others, in the teaching of immigrant students, and in finding and maintaining a job.
Research also confirms that children learn best in their mother tongue as a prelude to and complement of bilingual and multilingual education. Whether children successfully retain their mother tongue while acquiring additional languages, depends on several interacting factors.
As time goes by and as the global community develops, the world grows more and more international, making second or third language acquisition become necessary to the majority. With the growing importance of multiple language ability, more and more parents think of bilingual or multilingual education, which means acquisitions of two or more languages, for their kids. In fact, we do have many reasons showing why multilingual education is important and beneficial, such as aspects of interpersonal relationship, employment, brain health, and so on.